Table of Contents
The Founder of Daosim
Today Laozi is regarded as the founding figure of Daoism. Whether he ever truly lived remains uncertain. He is traditionally credited as the author of the text Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching; literally "Book of the Way and Virtue" or "Book of the Way and Its Power"). Modern scholarship suggests that the figure of Laozi may in fact merge three separate personages:
- Laozi as the author of the Dao De Jing and contemporary of Confucius.
- The historian Tai Shi Dan, who worked at the Zhou court.
- The figure Lao Lai Zi mentioned by the historian Sima Qian (ca. 145–86 BCE)
Early life
According to legend, Laozi was born in the 6th century BCE (some sources say c. 604 BCE) in a village in Henan province. His family name was Li, his courtesy name was Po-Yang, and after his death he received the name Tau. Sima Qian states:
"Lao-Tse was born in the state of Chu, in the county of Ku, in the Li-community, in the village of Qu Ren. His family name was Li, his given name Er, his personal name Dan."
Some newer studies suggest he actually lived in the 4th century BCE rather than the 6th.
Encounter with Confucius
It is said that in 518 BCE Laozi met Confucius, who at the time was on a journey with two prince-students and had stopped in Luoyang. According to Sima Qian, at their meeting Laozi was already an old man and Confucius a young scholar. During this famed philosophical encounter both men critiqued the moral decline of the time (the era of the "Warring States"). While Confucius emphasized a return to classical virtues, Laozi called for the cultivation of perfect virtue, personal self-reflection and universal love. "
Daoist interpreters later portrayed Confucius as so deeply impressed by this "old master" that they likened Laozi’s figure to a dragon ascending into the sky. "
Retreat and legacy
Later, Laozi is said to have withdrawn into seclusion. According to legend, dissatisfied with the state of affairs in China, he rode west on an ox, reached the Xiangu Pass, and was requested by the gate-keeper Guan Yin to write down his teachings. He then composed the Dao De Jing (approx. 5,000 Chinese characters) and disappeared. His guiding principle:
His aim was to hide himself and remain without a name. (Sima Qian)
The Two Principles: Yin and Yang
Both Confucian and Daoist schools assumed the world was governed by two fundamental forces: the masculine (Yang) and the feminine (Yin).
Whoever says 'Beautiful' thereby creates the 'Not-beautiful'.
Whoever says 'Good' thereby creates the 'Not-good’.
Being brings about Non-being.
Hard gives way to Soft.
Long measures Short.
High generates Low.
Loud determines Quiet. (Laozi, Dao De Jing)
The duo of Yin and Yang are always present together; neither exists alone. They are dynamic, interdependent, and represent complementary opposites in the natural order.
The Principles of Daoismus
In China it was believed that all religions could benefit people because they taught them to do good. The ancient Chinese philosophies (including Daoism) are, in contrast to many Western traditions:
- firmly rooted in this world, and
- oriented toward practical life guidance. "
Daoism is essentially a "nature philosophy". Instead of the human being as the measure of all things, Daoism teaches that the human is part of the creative nature—and must become conscious of this to achieve harmony. "
"The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of all things." (Lao Tse) "
The aim: to restore the original state of harmony (the "Golden Age") by re-identifying as part of nature. "
Daoism and Nature
Daoism defines nature in an all-encompassing way: the cosmos and all life forms are included, and heaven and earth are a unity. The divine element, i.e., nature, knows neither good nor evil:
"Heaven and earth are not benevolent. … The heavens are eternal and the earth endures." (Lao Tse) "
Good and evil are human categories.
"No desire – no censure." (Lao Tse) "
A key insight: rather than trying to change others or impose our will, one must preserve one’s inner self and act from being, not doing. "
The Dao De Jing
Modern researchers believe the Dao De Jing may not have been the work of a single author. It could have emerged over time and been an oral tradition before being committed to writing. "
In translation:
- "Dao" (or Tao) has been rendered by Richard Wilhelm as "Sinn" (sense) and by Bodo Kirchner as "Weg" (way). "
- Thus "Dao De Jinn" could mean The Book of Way and Virtue or The Book of Way and Its Power
The work addresses how a human should live in the world, how they perceive themselves and how they interact with it.
"The world is governed by non-action. It cannot be governed by action." (Dao De Jing, section 48)
Here "non-action" (wu-wei) is not literal passivity but action that is in alignment with the natural order acting without forcing.
Reception in Europe
Laozi and the Dao De Jing became widely known in Europe beginning in the 18th century; their greatest impact in Germany occurred in the 20th century between the world wars. The first German translation appeared in 1870 by Victor von Strauss ("Lao-Tse’s Tao Te King") in Leipzig. The most influential translation was later done by Richard Wilhelm. Wilhelm (1873–1930) worked as a missionary in China and later as adviser in the German embassy in Peking. His translations of Chinese classics positioned him in Germany as a "spiritual mediator between China and Europe". In German literature, the writer Hermann Hesse processed Daoist ideas in his works (e.g., Siddhartha, Narziss and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game). Hesse considered Laozi his major intellectual revelation.
Reception in China
According to scholar Isabelle Robinet, Daoism has two main strands:
- the philosophical-mystical side (Dao jia, represented e.g. by Laozi)
- the magical-religious side (Dao jiao), rooted in ancient Chinese shamanism. "
While Daoism was not suited to become a state religion in the same way as Confucianism, it offered rulers the principle of "governing by non-action" (wu-wei):
"The purpose of the entire book Laozi can be summed up in two sentences. The first: govern the state chiefly through non-action; the second: if you wish to defeat your opponent, you should make yourself low and weak, otherwise nothing at all." – Lü Simian (1884–1957) "
Daoism emphasizes reducing desires, even renouncing them:
"No desire – no censure." "
Thus it could serve as a tool of governance, promoting simplicity and minimal interference:
"Encouragement of wisdom leads to disorder in the realm; encouragement of simplicity leads to order."